Vasily Engelhardt
Encyclopedia
Vasily Pavlovich Engelhardt (July 17, 1828, Kustovichi, Grodno Oblast, Russian Empire (now Belarus)) - May 6, 1915, Dresden
) was a Russian astronomer and public figure.
. He was graduated from the St. Petersburg School of Law in 1847, then served in the 1st and 5th departments of the Senate. In 1853 he left government service and devoted himself to studying astronomy.
and built himself an observatory with his own money, where he worked alone without assistants until 1897. His main work was researching comets, asteroids, nebulae, and star clusters.
In 1870 he completed the observation of 50 comets and 70 asteroids. Turning to star clusters, in 1883 he completed a catalog of more than 400 nebulae. Beginning in 1886, he observed 829 stars in Bradley
's directory to determine if they had companion stars.
In the late 1890s, deteriorating health forced Engelhardt to give up personal observing, and he gave all his equipment to Kazan University, of which his friend and fellow astronomer Dmitri Dubyago was rector. The university built an observatory to house the equipment, which was opened in 1901 and named for Engelhardt from 1903 until 1931. Until the end of his life, Engelhardt took an active part in the construction and organization of the new observatory, and in his will gave Kazan University all his money and property, to be used for the development and maintenance of the observatory.
Engelhardt was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kazan University in 1889, and in 1890 he was made a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
.
Engelhardt was a close friend of the composer Mikhail Glinka
. When Glinka died in Berlin in 1857, Engelhardt arranged the transfer of his remains home to Tikhvin
. Engelhardt also sent Glinka's collection of manuscripts to St. Petersburg, where the Glinka Public Library was founded, and published the scores of Glinka's operas and symphonic works. Later, at the request of the critic Vladimir Stasov (a law school classmate), Engelhardt published his memoirs of Glinka and the composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky
.
In the late 1890s, moving away from astronomical research, Engelhardt began a collection of material on Suvorov's campaign in Switzerland, which he donated to the Suvorov Museum
in St. Petersburg in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1812 war
. Engelhardt's efforts made a significant contribution to perpetuating the memory of the Russian campaign in Switzerland.
Engelhardt's correspondence with leading cultural figures (Glinka, Stasov, Franz Liszt
, G. Bulow) is considered of historical value.
By decision of the XIV Congress of the International Astronomical Union
, the Moon crater Engel'gardt was named in Engelhardt's honor.
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
) was a Russian astronomer and public figure.
Early life
Engelhardt was member of the wealthy and famous Engelhardt familyEngelhardt family
Engelhardt is a Baltic-German Russian noble and baronial family. The family name is sometimes given as "von Engelhardt".-History:The legendary founder of the Engelhardt dynasty, Carl Bernhard Engelhardt , served as a knight in the Third Crusade, launched to liberate the Holy Sepulchre...
. He was graduated from the St. Petersburg School of Law in 1847, then served in the 1st and 5th departments of the Senate. In 1853 he left government service and devoted himself to studying astronomy.
Astronomer
In 1875, Engelhardt settled in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and built himself an observatory with his own money, where he worked alone without assistants until 1897. His main work was researching comets, asteroids, nebulae, and star clusters.
In 1870 he completed the observation of 50 comets and 70 asteroids. Turning to star clusters, in 1883 he completed a catalog of more than 400 nebulae. Beginning in 1886, he observed 829 stars in Bradley
James Bradley
James Bradley FRS was an English astronomer and served as Astronomer Royal from 1742, succeeding Edmund Halley. He is best known for two fundamental discoveries in astronomy, the aberration of light , and the nutation of the Earth's axis...
's directory to determine if they had companion stars.
In the late 1890s, deteriorating health forced Engelhardt to give up personal observing, and he gave all his equipment to Kazan University, of which his friend and fellow astronomer Dmitri Dubyago was rector. The university built an observatory to house the equipment, which was opened in 1901 and named for Engelhardt from 1903 until 1931. Until the end of his life, Engelhardt took an active part in the construction and organization of the new observatory, and in his will gave Kazan University all his money and property, to be used for the development and maintenance of the observatory.
Engelhardt was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kazan University in 1889, and in 1890 he was made a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
.
Cultural activities
For most of his life, Engelhardt took an active interest in Russian history, gathering materials and donating them to Russian collections.Engelhardt was a close friend of the composer Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
. When Glinka died in Berlin in 1857, Engelhardt arranged the transfer of his remains home to Tikhvin
Tikhvin
Tikhvin is a town and the administrative center of Tikhvinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on both banks of the Tikhvinka River in the east of the oblast, east of St. Petersburg. Tikhvin is also an industrial and cultural center of the district, as well as its transportation...
. Engelhardt also sent Glinka's collection of manuscripts to St. Petersburg, where the Glinka Public Library was founded, and published the scores of Glinka's operas and symphonic works. Later, at the request of the critic Vladimir Stasov (a law school classmate), Engelhardt published his memoirs of Glinka and the composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky
Alexander Dargomyzhsky
Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky was a 19th century Russian composer. He bridged the gap in Russian opera composition between Mikhail Glinka and the later generation of The Five and Tchaikovsky....
.
In the late 1890s, moving away from astronomical research, Engelhardt began a collection of material on Suvorov's campaign in Switzerland, which he donated to the Suvorov Museum
Suvorov Museum
Suvorov Memorial Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is a military museum dedicated to the memory of Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov...
in St. Petersburg in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1812 war
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
. Engelhardt's efforts made a significant contribution to perpetuating the memory of the Russian campaign in Switzerland.
Engelhardt's correspondence with leading cultural figures (Glinka, Stasov, Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, G. Bulow) is considered of historical value.
By decision of the XIV Congress of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
, the Moon crater Engel'gardt was named in Engelhardt's honor.
Publications
- Observations astronomiques, faites par V. d' Engelhardt a son Observatoire a Dresde (Dresden, 1886-1895)
- Memories of Mikhail Glinka